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Thursday, June 1, 2017

How to Create Flavorful, Filling, User Friendly Vegan Salads


plant energy, flavor, crunch, and protein.


Updated 7/24/2023


plant energy, flavor, crunch, and protein


Leafy Green Salads are loaded with vibrant plant energy, flavor, crunch, and plant-based protein. Greens, when served raw, are alive with chlorophyll, the building block of cells. It's the substance that your body converts to energy for that great "get up and go feeling." 

Most greens are rich in calcium, iron, potassium, and B vitamins too. Prepare a chilled, refreshing tossed green salad with all the trimmings. Elevate your health as well as savor a simple to prepare, delicious one dish meal.

The color green helps you focus on self-improvement, weed out old messages, and sprout new growth. Visualize green to give you motivation to turn over a new green leaf. 

Are there facets of your eating plan that require attention? If you want to increase your health quotient, pay attention to what you eat. Notice how quickly health improves, when you eat more fruits and veggies. 

Green energy stimulates health, facilitates new beginnings, and is the symbol of freedom and wealth. To feel better emotionally, spiritually, physically, and intellectually put more green into your life. 

Did you know that lettuce has an average glycemic index of 15? Because it has only one calorie per cup, its glycemic load is considered zero. Foods with low glycemic indexes are great for anyone watching their blood sugar. Eating salad with low fat or fat-free dressing is a great way to manage weight. 


Romaine, guacamole, pinto beans, and colorful veggies

Leafy greens are often available in markets or farm stands in an organic state (organic varieties are more nutritious and don’t contain toxic pesticides like conventional ones). Look for the prewashed, packaged salad blends for convenience. Buy individual heads of lettuce, that usually stay fresh longer and are less expensive than the prepackaged kind. 

Salad add-ins like tomatoes, red cabbage, red pepper, and spinach, are chock-full of antioxidants. Scoop on leftover beans, peas, or lentils, and make a simple meal that's hearty, as well as increase daily protein and fiber count. 



Whole food plant-based entrΓ©e salads are an excellent way to satisfy hunger, fuel your body so it can work at peak efficiency, aid digestion and elimination, and is a delicious meal that’s cholesterol free. 

Brightly colored green veggies like celery, cucumbers, watercress, and zucchini squash are fun to use in salads. Add other colors too like carrots, radishes, beets, red onion, and cauliflower. 

Fruit Salads that include strawberries, apples, blueberries, and melon are tasty additions to your weekly meal plan. Check out this  Delicious Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Tofu Feta from Diane at Plant-based Cooking.


Watermelon Tofu Feta Salad



 Mix or Match These Healthy Add-ins Instead of Using Junk Food Toppings


Cooked Whole Grain Pasta or Brown Rice 

Canned Black Beans or Kidney Beans

Raw Brazil Nuts or Sesame Seeds

Fresh fennel, celery root, jicama, radicchio, endive, escarole

Fresh papaya, mango, pineapple, Napa cabbage

Cooked artichokes, asparagus, Brussel sprouts

Olives, capers, onions, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic

Note: It often follows that the more vibrant the color of the plant-based food, the more eye appeal and nutrients within.

Organic Greens, Tomato, Wheat Berries, Whole Grain Toast, and Vinaigrette


Dr. Michael Greger, author of How Not to Die and founder of NutritionFacts.org, advises people to eat cruciferous vegetables every day. He says, “I recommend at least one serving a day (typically a half cup cooked cruciferous veggies) and at least two additional servings of greens a day (one cup raw veggies equals a portion)." 

One simple way to include this type of food is to put broccoli, cabbage, collards, or kale into salads.  

Dr. Greger’s favorite greens are arugula, beet greens, collard greens, kale (black, green, and red), mesclun mix (assorted young salad greens), mustard greens, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip greens. 

See 6 Foods I Recommend Eating Every Day for a Long Life: A Doctor Explains. 

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Discover how simple, satisfying, and nutritious it is to chop up and put together a main course salad. 


Note: Your Salad Dressing Choices Matter. All the good work you do eating plant-based salads is for naught, if you smother your salads with fatty dressings. Here’s a terrific low-fat Tahini Salad Dressing. The Recipe is from Diane at Plant Based Cooking. 

Tahini Dressing


Have fun and take it easy this summer, especially when the weather gets hot. 

To add to your enjoyment, click on this link to hear Norah Jones singing "Summertime."

Learn More About Plant-based Goodness By Clicking on the Links That Follow: 



4-Key-Reasons-to-Eat-a-Variety-of-Colorful-Fruits-and-Veggies-Each-Day.

4-Day-Color-Packed-Vegan-Menu-Reveal.

Why-Beets-are-Tops.

Why-We-Need-to-Eat-Orange-Fruits-and-Veggies-Daily.



Please don't forget to comment. Just don't put links in your comment, as I can't post them that way.

Share the salad love on social media. I appreciate the visit and hope you'll check back here again.

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10 comments:

  1. Salads are my favourite dishes specially during summer! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much +Christina Makri. Wishing you many fun days this summer and many enjoyable moments eating slads.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nancy,
    I was dealing with all the rain here in Florida and somehow missed the fact that I did pick your salad but did not put a link to it. I will add it this week.
    So sorry,
    Bev

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bev. Totally understand and hope you are recovered from the flooding. Be well and thanks so much for selecting my post to be featured.

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  4. HI Nancy,
    Wow these all look so tasty and healthy. I love salads all year long but the fresh vegetables in the summer are tastier. They are a great meal when it get hot outside. Sharing on Google, Twitter & Pinning. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm grateful for your support and encouragement Marla.I eat salads all year too. Just vary my add-ins to make them local whenever possible, organic, and gmo-free. Wishing you a happy, blessed day too.

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  5. I am not vegan, but I love a good salad and you have posted several here. They are perfect as an entree during the summer months. TFS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salad can be Healthy, Delicious, and Filling with the Right Salad Dressing and Toppings. So happy you came to visit and thank you for support. Have a beautiful day!

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  6. Thank you for sharing your links with us at #271 SSPS Linky. See you again next week. Always looking for new salad ideas, pinned this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOVE SSPS Linky party and thanks for hosting and commented here too. See you at the blog party on Monday and have a great weekend.

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